Sheathing/Weather Resistive Barrier Method and System

ABSTRACT

A sheathing product having a structural substrate with two or more edges. The sheathing product also having a weather resistive barrier attached to the structural substrate prior to securing the structural substrate to a frame of a building. A part of the weather resistive barrier extends beyond an edge of the structural substrate to create a flap that allows the weather resistive barrier to be attached to an abutting sheathing product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to sheathing products and, more particularly, to a sheathing product with an overlay of a weather resistive barrier.

BACKGROUND

External insulation systems are used to insulate buildings. The installation of an external insulation system typically involves securing a sheathing product to the frame of a building. After the sheathing product is secured to the frame, a weather resistive barrier is then applied over the sheathing product in a separate step.

The weather resistive barrier is typically a film wrap that comes in the form of a roll. Application of the weather resistive barrier requires at least two people. One person unrolls the weather resistive barrier horizontally across the building while another person nails or staples it to the sheathing product. The weather resistive barrier is typically attached to the sheathing product beginning at the bottom of the building and working up such that an upper roll of film wrap overlaps the bottom roll of film wrap. Any tears, breaks, or holes created during the application are then repaired by taping or patching. In windy conditions, more than one person may be required to handle the roll of weather resistive barrier.

Once applied, the weather resistive barrier is then covered with an exterior finishing material, such as brick, wood siding, cement stucco, and others.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a sheathing product is provided, the sheathing product having a structural substrate with two or more edges. The sheathing product also having a weather resistive barrier attached to the structural substrate prior to securing the structural substrate to a frame of a building. A part of the weather resistive barrier extends beyond an edge of the structural substrate to create a flap that allows the weather resistive barrier to be attached to an abutting sheathing product.

In another embodiment, a method of fabricating a sheathing product is provided. The method includes providing a structural substrate having two or more edges and attaching a weather resistive barrier to the structural substrate such that a part of the weather resistive barrier extends beyond the structural substrate along one or more edges. The weather resistive barrier is attached to the structural substrate prior to securing the structural substrate to a frame of a building.

In yet another embodiment, a method of insulating a joint between two sheathing products is provided. The method includes providing a first sheathing product having a weather resistive barrier attached to a structural substrate such that the weather resistive barrier of the first sheathing product overlaps the structural substrate at an edge and forms a flap along the overlapped edge. The method also includes providing a second sheathing product having a weather resistive barrier attached to a structural substrate. The method further includes securing the first sheathing product to a frame of a building and securing the second sheathing product to the frame of the building with the flap of the first sheathing product overlapping the second sheathing product. The method also includes adhering the flap of the first sheathing product to the weather resistive barrier of the second sheathing product such that a joint formed between the first and second sheathing products is insulated by the flap extending from the first sheathing product to the second sheathing product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sheathing product with a weather resistive barrier overlay.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of two sheathing products as described in FIG. 1 attached to the frame of a building.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate front views of sheathing products with the overlay forming an overlapping region along a single edge of the substrate.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a sheathing product with the overlay forming an overlapping region along two edges of the substrate.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate front views of sheathing products with the overlay forming an overlapping region along three edges of the substrate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of a sheathing product with the overlay forming an overlapping region along all four edges of the substrate.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an embodiment of installing a sheathing product of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In describing embodiments of the present disclosure, various terms used in the construction of external insulation systems are used.

As used herein, a substrate is any sheathing product that provides structural support. This may include, for example, gypsum board, fiberboard, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, cement board, wood planks, foam boards—(ISO, EPS), and coated paperboard (wax or other—e.g. THERMO-PLY® brand products). The substrate may be of any dimension used in conjunction with conventional frame sections. For example, the substrate may be 4′×8′ or 4′×10′. The substrate of the present disclosure provides structural support as distinguished from interior insulation with a paper backing, which does not provide structural support.

A weather resistive barrier is any film wrap or felt designed to resist liquid moisture while allowing vapor transmission. The weather resistive barrier conforms to the ASTM E-96 water vapor transmission test and complies with the standards of the IRC 2003, Section R318 regarding vapor retarders. The weather resistive barrier can be, for example, TYVEK®, TYPAR®, DELTA-DRY®, polypropylenes, polyesters, or fiberglass filled with inorganic and/or organic compounds to provide a Class A burn surface.

As discussed above, prior art technology requires that application of the sheathing product to the frame of a building occurs as a separate step from the application of the weather resistive barrier. Accordingly, once the sheathing product is secured to the frame, construction of the building must stop until insulation tradesmen install the weather resistive barrier. Until the weather resistive barrier is completely installed, the interior of the building cannot be “dried in” and damage to other materials inside the building due to blowing rain at the job site can occur. Thus, applying the weather resistive barrier as a separate step results in additional time, labor, and materials. Also, because application techniques are often inconsistent within the trade, the quality of the application will depend on the application technique and skill of those installing the weather resistive barrier.

Another problem of the prior art is damage caused by wind on the weather resistive barrier during the construction process. Prior art technology uses individual staple or nail fasteners and with sufficient wind at the job site, the weather resistive barrier may tear away from the fasteners. The disclosed embodiments provide more extensive and consistent fastening of the weather resistive barrier to the sheathing and should provide better resistance to wind loads on the job site.

Accordingly, the present application discloses a system and method for applying the weather resistive barrier at the same time that the sheathing product is secured to the frame of a building. This is accomplished by having the weather resistive barrier applied to the sheathing board before it is secured to the frame. Thus, the additional time, labor, and materials involved in applying the weather resistive barrier as a separate step is eliminated, and a greater consistency in the application of the weather resistive barrier is provided.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sheathing product with a weather resistive barrier overlay. In FIG. 1, a substrate 101 is provided with a weather resistive barrier overlay 103. Overlay 103 overlaps substrate 101 with the overlapping region of overlay 103 forming a flexible flap 105 that extends beyond an edge of substrate 101. The overlay 103 is adhered to the substrate 101 by a layer of glue or bonding agent 102. Flap 105 is provided with an adhesive layer 107 on its underside. In some embodiments, the glue 102 and adhesive 107 may be the same material. In other embodiments, the glue 102 and adhesive 107 are different materials to provide different desirable functions as discussed below. Adhesive layer 107 may be provided with a protective cover 109. Protective cover 109 can be, for example, a release strip.

In this disclosure, the bonding agent 102 which attaches the weather resistive layer 103 to the substrate 101 is referred to as glue, while the bonding agent 107 applied to the flap 105 is referred to as adhesive. This terminology is intended to distinguish the locations and desired functions of the bonding agents, not to indicate that they should necessarily be different materials. In some embodiments, they may be the same material. The term bonding agent is used to describe either or both of the glue 102 and adhesive 107.

It is noted that the figures in this disclosure are not drawn to scale and that certain aspects of the figures have been exaggerated for ease of illustration. For example, substrate 101 may be from one-eighth inch to 4 inches thick while overlay 103 may be from 0.004 inch (0.1 mm) to 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) thick, as measured in accordance with ASTM D1777.

In the above embodiment, overlay 103 is adhered to substrate 101 by applying a glue or bonding agent 102 between overlay 103 and substrate 101 in such a way as to allow permeability in overlay 103 and substrate 101. One of the advantages of gluing is that the combination of the overlay used and the gluing system 102 employed can be chosen to achieve a desired vapor transmission rate. Although gluing is disclosed in this embodiment, any method of attaching overlay 103 to substrate 101 until substrate 101 is secured to the frame of a building can be utilized as long as it allows for the desired permeability in overlay 103 and substrate 101. The method of attaching overlay 103 to substrate 101 may be temporary because the means for securing substrate 101 to the frame of a building, such as by nails or screws, will also secure overlay 103 to substrate 101. Overlay 103 and the system, e.g. glue 102, for adhering it to the substrate 101 may also provide increased strength to substrate 101. Overlay 103 and the system, e.g. glue 102, for adhering it to the substrate 101 may also provide increased insulation to the wall.

Flap 105 is wide enough to allow it to extend across a joint between the sheathing products and adhere to the adjacent sheathing product. In some embodiments, flap 105 may be from two to six inches wide. Also, the adhesive used in adhesive layer 107 may be any adhesive that complies with the standards of ASTM D 903 regarding peel or stripping strength of adhesive bonds. For example, the adhesive may be a polyethylene-to-polyethylene adhesive that complies with the standards of ASTM D 903. Other adhesives may also be suitable. Adhesive layer 107 may be applied over the entire area of flap 105 and may act as an additional liquid moisture barrier.

Although the above embodiments show flap 105 as having pre-applied adhesive layer 107 for adhering to an adjacent sheathing board, flap 105 may also be adhered by an adhesive layer that is applied to flap 105 at the job site. Such an adhesive layer may be applied, for example, using a caulking gun, a paint roller, or double-sided tape.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of two sheathing products as described in FIG. 1 attached to the frame of a building. In this embodiment, a first sheathing product 207 and a second sheathing product 209 are attached to the frame of a building comprising a first stud 201, a second stud 203, and a third stud 205. Typical house framing includes top and bottom framing, or plates, which are not shown to simplify the figures, and it is understood that the top and/or bottom edges of sheathing products 207, 209 may overlap and be secured to top and bottom plates also. Sheathing product 207 may be secured to studs 201 and 203 by fasteners 208, e.g. nails, screws, or staples, with the flap 206 of sheathing product 207 overlapping the abutting sheathing product 209, which may be secured to studs 203 and 205 by fasteners 210. The fasteners 210 may pass through the flap 206 or may be covered by the flap 206. The flap 206 of sheathing product 207 may be adhered to the overlay of the sheathing product 209 by removing the release strip 109 from the flap 105 (as shown in FIG. 1) and pressing the adhesive layer 107 to the overlay of sheathing product 209. The fasteners 210 may also hold the flap 206 to the sheathing product 209. A joint 211 is formed between the underlying substrates of sheathing products 207 and 209, and is indicated by a dotted line. Joint 211 is covered by an overlapping region 213 formed by the flap of sheathing product 207. This allows the flap 206 of sheathing product 207 to securely cover the joint 211 between the adjacent sheathing products and, thus, provides for a continuous coverage of the building without having to apply the weather resistive barrier as a separate step.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, sheathing product 207 is shown with a substrate 301 and an overlay 303, and sheathing product 209 is shown with a substrate 305 and an overlay 307. As shown in this figure, overlay 303 of sheathing product 207 overlaps sheathing product 209 to form overlapping region 213, which covers joint 211 formed between substrates 301 and 305. Again, it is noted that the figures in this disclosure are not drawn to scale and that certain aspects of the figures have been exaggerated for ease of illustration.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate front views of sheathing products with the overlay forming an overlapping region along a single edge of the substrate. In FIG. 4 a, the overlay is shown overlapping a single edge of the underlying substrate to form flap 105 along a horizontal edge. FIG. 4 b shows the overlay overlapping the underlying substrate to form flap 105 along a vertical edge. The edge of the underlying substrate along flap 105 is indicated by the dotted line. The gluing pattern used to attach the overlay to the substrate is indicated by stripes 401 across the substrate. The pattern 401 is primarily for illustration purposes, and in various embodiments many patterns and bonding methods may be used, including those shown in other figures and discussed below.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a sheathing product with the overlay forming an overlapping region along two edges of the substrate. In this figure, the overlay is shown overlapping two edges of the underlying substrate to form flap 105 along a horizontal edge and a vertical edge. The edges of the substrate along flap 105 are indicated by the dotted line. The gluing pattern used to attach the overlay to the substrate is indicated by stripes 501 across the substrate.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate front views of sheathing products with the overlay forming an overlapping region along three edges of the substrate. In FIG. 6 a, the overlay is shown overlapping two horizontal edges and a vertical edge of the underlying substrate to form flap 105. FIG. 6 b shows the overlay overlapping the underlying substrate to form flap 105 along two vertical edges and a horizontal edge. The edges of the substrate along flap 105 are indicated by the dotted line. The gluing pattern used to attach the overlay to the substrate is indicated by dots 601 across the substrate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of a sheathing product with the overlay forming an overlapping region along all four edges of the substrate. In this figure, the overlay is shown overlapping four edges of the underlying substrate to form flap 105 along both the horizontal edges and the vertical edges. The edges of the substrate along flap 105 are indicated by the dotted line. The gluing pattern used to attach the overlay to the substrate is indicated by dots 701 and stripes 703 across the substrate.

As stated earlier, one of the advantages of gluing is that the combination of the selected overlay, bonding agent, and gluing pattern can be chosen to achieve a desired vapor transmission rate. Although the glue may only serve to temporarily attach the overlay to the substrate until the substrate is secured to the frame of a building, the glue may still block vapor transmission. Therefore, the gluing patterns in the above embodiments do not cover the entire underlying substrate to avoid blocking vapor transmission. The overlay and the gluing pattern may also be perforated to achieve a desired vapor transmission rate. In embodiments in which a substrate is covered with a fill coat of glue, glue which does not restrict permeability itself may be selected, or it may be pin pricked or perforated to achieve a desired permeability. Thus vapor permeability of the sheathing product may be controlled by selecting a vapor permeable overlay 103 or pin pricking or otherwise perforating the overlay 103, and by selecting a vapor permeable glue 102 or covering less than the entire surface of the substrate 101 with the glue 102 or pin pricking or otherwise perforating the glue 102, which pin pricking or perforating of the glue 102 may occur in the same process as pin pricking or perforating the overlay 103.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an embodiment of installing a sheathing product of the present disclosure. This embodiment begins at block 801 with a first sheathing product having a weather resistive barrier overlay overlapping two adjacent edges of the underlying substrate to form a flap along a vertical edge and a horizontal edge as depicted in FIG. 5. The first sheathing product is secured to the frame of a building at block 803 with the weather resistive barrier overlay facing away from the frame of the building. The sheathing product may be secured to the frame of the building using, for example, nails or screws. A second sheathing product also having a flap along a horizontal and a vertical edge is provided at block 805. At block 807, the second sheathing product is oriented in the same direction as the first sheathing product with respect to their flaps. At block 809, the second sheathing product is secured to the frame of the building with the second sheathing product abutting the vertical edge of the first sheathing product that has the flap. Because the second sheathing product is oriented in the same direction as the first sheathing product with respect to their flaps, the vertical edge of the second sheathing product that abuts the first sheathing product will not have a flap. A third sheathing product also having a flap along a horizontal and a vertical edge is provided at block 811. The third sheathing product is oriented in the same direction as the first sheathing product with respect to their flaps at block 813. At block 815, the third sheathing product is secured to the frame of the building with the third sheathing product abutting the horizontal edge of the first sheathing product that has the flap. Again, because the third sheathing product is oriented in the same direction as the first sheathing product with respect to their flaps, the horizontal edge of the third sheathing product that abuts the first sheathing product will not have a flap. Once all three sheathing products are secured to the frame of the building, the flap of the first sheathing product is adhered to the weather resistive barrier overlay of the abutting second and third sheathing products at block 817. The flap of the first sheathing product may be adhered to the weather resistive barrier overlay of the second and third sheathing products by removing a release strip to expose a pre-applied adhesive that is provided on the flap of the first sheathing product and manually pressing the flap of the first sheathing product against the weather resistive barrier overlay of the second and third sheathing products. The adhesive may also be applied at the job site using, for example, a caulking gun, a paint roller, or double-sided tape. The adhesive may be any adhesive that complies with the standards of ASTM D 903 regarding peel or stripping strength of adhesive bonds, or ASTM D1000-04 standard test methods for pressure-sensitive adhesive. Other adhesives may also be useful, especially if mechanical fasteners are also used to attach the flaps.

The adhesive 107 used to attach the flap of the first sheathing product to the weather resistive barrier overlay of the second and third sheathing products may differ from the glue 102 used to attach the overlay 103 to the underlying structural substrate 101 in that the adhesive 107 may be permanent and vapor-resistant. While the glue 102 only needs to hold until the sheathing product is secured to the frame of a building, the adhesive 107 desirably forms a permanent bond with the overlay of an adjacent sheathing product in order to properly insulate the joint between the two sheathing products during the life of the building. In order to properly insulate the joint, the adhesive 107 should also be water-resistant. Because the adhesive is primarily at the joint and does not cover the entire sheathing product, the adhesive 107 may be impermeable to vapor and may cover the entire flap without significantly affecting the overall vapor permeability of the sheathing product. This is in contrast to the glue 102 whose application over the entire substrate could significantly affect the overall vapor permeability of the sheathing product, unless a permeable glue is selected or it is pin pricked or perforated.

There are potential advantages of the disclosed embodiments as compared to the prior art methods for applying a weather resistive barrier to sheathing boards. For example, a one step process for installing both sheathing and a weather resistive barrier decreases labor cost and increases the speed of installation. Labor cost is decreased in that the disclosed embodiments decrease the number of trades that must be employed at the job site. The time for the total construction process is reduced because the exterior finishing material can be installed immediately after the sheathing product is secured to the frame without waiting for the insulation tradesmen to apply the weather resistive barrier. Material cost is also reduced in that there will not be any rolls of weather resistive barrier that remain unused at the end of a job. By installing the weather resistive barrier at the same time as the sheathing board, the interior of the building is “dried in” quicker and damage to other materials due to blowing rain on the job site would be reduced. The prior attachment of the weather resistive barrier to a defined sheathing board assures that the sheathing board will be compatible with the weather resistive barrier. Also, the disclosed embodiments provide better sealing of joints between sheathing boards that are not presently being directly sealed. The disclosed embodiments also assure consistency in coverage in that a full sheet barrier is provided everywhere a sheathing board is secured to the frame of a building.

While the weather resistive barrier overlay may be attached to the structural substrate at a job site, the advantages of the disclosed embodiments are best achieved when the weather resistive barrier overlay is attached to the structural substrate in good indoors working conditions that are not affected by the weather. This allows the production of the disclosed sheathing product to be efficient and consistent.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a bundle of the structural substrates is manufactured using an automated process. Once the bundle is manufactured, it may be taken to another area where a weather resistive barrier overlay may be manually attached to each structural substrate in the bundle. This would require that the structural substrates be bundled after manufacturing and unbundled during the application of the overlay. After the overlay is attached, the structural substrates are then bundled again for further processing or delivery.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, after the bundle is manufactured, it may be taken to another area where it is fed into another automated process that attaches a weather resistive barrier overlay to each structural substrate in the bundle. Again, this would require that the structural substrates be bundled after manufacturing, unbundled during the application of the overlay, and bundled again for further processing or delivery.

In yet another embodiment, the automated process that manufactures the structural substrates may feed directly into another automated process that applies the overlay to the structural substrates as they are being manufactured. The structural substrates would then come off the combined assembly line with the overlay already attached. This embodiment would eliminate the need to bundle and unbundle the sheathing products in order to apply the overlay.

In any of the above described assembly methods, the overlay material may be provided in various forms. For example, the overlay may be provided in a roll having a width equal to the width of a substrate 101 plus the width of flap 105. The overlay may then be fed from the rolls and glued to substrates. By cutting the unrolled sections of overlay, flaps may be provided one or both ends of a sheathing product as well as along a side. For bundling and shipping purposes, the flaps may be folded back onto the sheathing product so that a bundle of the products will have standard dimensions, e.g. four by eight feet. The folded flaps expose the appropriate surface of the flap 105 to facilitate application of the adhesive 107 and release strip 109.

If desired, the overlay 103 may be provided in precut sections having the appropriate dimensions to cover substrates 101 and provide the flaps or flaps 105. Such precut sections may have the adhesive 107 and release strips 109 preapplied. After such precut sections are glued to substrates 101, it may be desirable to fold the flaps 105 back onto the substrates 101 to provide conventional bundle sizes. A preapplied adhesive 107 and release strip 109 may stiffen the flaps 105 and thereby facilitate folding of the flaps 105 back onto the substrates 101.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be coupled through some interface or device, such that the items may no longer be considered directly coupled to each other but may still be indirectly coupled and in communication, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise with one another. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein. 

1. A sheathing product, comprising: a structural substrate having two sides and two or more edges; and a weather resistive barrier, the weather resistive barrier covering and attached to one side of the structural substrate prior to securing the structural substrate to a frame of a building; wherein a part of the weather resistive barrier extends beyond an edge of the structural substrate to form a flap that allows the weather resistive barrier to be attached to an abutting sheathing product.
 2. The sheathing product of claim 1, wherein the weather resistive barrier extends beyond at least two adjacent edges of the structural substrate creating flaps along each of the at least two adjacent edges.
 3. The sheathing product of claim 1, wherein the flap is from two inches to six inches wide.
 4. The sheathing product of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer carried on a surface of the flap.
 5. The sheathing product of claim 4, further comprising a releasable protective cover carried on the adhesive layer.
 6. The sheathing product of claim 1, further comprising a bonding agent attaching the weather resistive barrier to the structural substrate.
 7. The sheathing product of claim 6, wherein the bonding agent comprises a continuous layer.
 8. The sheathing product of claim 7, wherein the weather resistive barrier and the layer of bonding agent are perforated to provide a desired level of vapor permeability for the sheathing product.
 9. The sheathing product of claim 6, wherein the bonding agent comprises a discontinuous layer.
 10. The sheathing product of claim 6, wherein the weather resistive barrier and bonding agent provide increased strength to the structural substrate.
 11. A method of insulating a joint between two sheathing products, comprising: providing a first sheathing product having a weather resistive barrier attached to a structural substrate such that the weather resistive barrier of the first sheathing product overlaps the structural substrate at an edge and forms a flap along the overlapped edge; providing a second sheathing product having a weather resistive barrier attached to a structural substrate; securing the first sheathing product to a frame of a building; securing the second sheathing product to the frame of the building with the flap of the first sheathing product overlapping the second sheathing product; and adhering the flap of the first sheathing product to the weather resistive barrier of the second sheathing product; wherein a joint formed between the first and second sheathing products is insulated by the flap extending from the first sheathing product to the second sheathing product.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the flap of the first sheathing product is adhered to the weather resistive barrier of the second sheathing product by using an adhesive layer that is pre-applied on the flap of the first sheathing product.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the flap of the first sheathing product is adhered to the weather resistive barrier of the second sheathing product by applying an adhesive layer to the flap of the first sheathing product at a job site.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the adhesive layer is applied to the flap of the first sheathing product using a caulking gun, a paint roller, or a roll of double-sided tape.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the adhesive layer acts as a vapor barrier to decrease the amount of air and moisture which could pass through the second sheathing product.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the adhesive layer acts as a vapor barrier to decrease the amount of air and moisture which could pass through the second sheathing product.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the flap of the first sheathing product is adhered to the weather resistive barrier of the second sheathing product by use of mechanical fasteners.
 18. A method of fabricating a sheathing product, comprising: providing a structural substrate having two or more edges; and attaching a weather resistive barrier to the structural substrate such that a part of the weather resistive barrier extends beyond the structural substrate along at least one edge; wherein the weather resistive barrier is attached to the structural substrate prior to securing the structural substrate to a frame of a building.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the weather resistive barrier extends beyond the structural substrate along two adjacent edges.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the weather resistive barrier extends beyond the edge of the structural substrate a minimum of two inches.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the part of the weather resistive barrier which extends beyond the structural substrate with an adhesive layer.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing the adhesive layer with a protective cover.
 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising increasing the vapor permeability of the sheathing product by applying a non-continuous layer of bonding agent between the weather resistive barrier and the structural substrate.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising perforating the weather resistive barrier and the layer of bonding agent to provide a desired level of vapor permeability for the sheathing product.
 25. The method of claim 18, wherein the weather resistive barrier is attached to the structural substrate at a job site.
 26. The method of claim 18, wherein the weather resistive barrier is attached to the structural substrate in a factory.
 27. The method of claim 18, further comprising attaching a weather resistive barrier to the structural substrate with vapor permeable glue. 